Robin Ferrier
Robin Ferrier | |
---|---|
Birkbeck College, University of London Victoria University of Wellington | |
Doctoral advisor | Professor Gerald Aspinall |
Robert John Ferrier FRSNZ,[1] FNZIC,[2] (7 August 1932 – 11 July 2013) was an organic chemist who discovered two chemical reactions, the Ferrier rearrangement and the Ferrier carbocyclization.[3][4] Originally from Edinburgh, he moved to Wellington, New Zealand, in 1970.
Early life and education
Ferrier was born in Edinburgh on 7 August 1932. Following the family's idiosyncratic naming tradition, although he was named Robert John, he was always known as Robin. Likewise his father Edward was known as William and his mother Sophia was known as Rita. William was a policeman and became head of Edinburgh CID, while Rita was a housewife.
His only sibling was a
Ferrier attended George Heriot's School for all of his schooling, apart from a brief time in Traquair, to where he was evacuated during the war with his mother and sister.
He gained a Bachelor of Science with first class honours in 1954 and a PhD in plant
Academic career
Appointed to a teaching position at
Arriving in New Zealand in 1970 as
He served on the Toxic Substances Board in the 1980s and the leadership of the
After his retirement from Victoria University in 1998, he became an emeritus professor.
Ferrier Research Institute
The Ferrier Research Institute at
Ferrier Lecture
In August 2012, Ferrier celebrated his 80th birthday and retired a second time. Later that year, the Ferrier Trust was set up in his honour, to bring a scientist to New Zealand each year, to engage with chemistry students and lecture. Peppi Prasit, a Ferrier PhD graduate and founder of Amira Pharmaceuticals and Inception Sciences in the US, was the trust's foundation donor. He was able to attend the inaugural Ferrier Lecture in March 2013.[14]
Publications
In his 50-year career, Ferrier published 180 papers, reviews and books, and gave 10 invited plenary lectures at international symposia.[15] His reviews were of particular benefit to the chemical community but perhaps of most value was the book "Monosaccharide Chemistry,[16] written with Dr Peter Collins in 1972 and majorly updated as "Monosaccharides: Their chemistry and their roles in natural products[17] in 1995.
Awards
Ferrier was elected
References
- ^ a b "List of Fellows". Royal Society of New Zealand. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ^ a b Wilcox, Sarah; Furneaux, Richard (2013). "Obituary Robert John (Robin) Ferrier" (PDF). Chemistry in New Zealand. October.
- ^ .
- ^ .
- ^ A tribute to professor emeritus Barbara Ferrier, McMaster University, 6 January 2006
- ^ Alex Nickon, Ernest F. Silversmith, Organic Chemistry: The Name Game: Modern Coined Terms and Their Origins, p. 133, Pergamon Press, 1987.
- .
- ^ Calvin, Melvin. "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1961". Nobelprize.org. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ^ Barrowman, Rachel (1999). Victoria University of Wellington, 1899-1999: A History. Victoria University Press.
- ^ Halton, Brian (2014). Chemistry at Victoria The Wellington University A Personalized Account of the Hundred Years from 1899 (PDF). The School of Chemical & Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington. pp. 53–54.
- ^ Ferrier, R.J.; Davies RB; Edwards IR; Fergusson DM; Reeves RD; Scott PJ; Stevenson CD (1986). "Lead in the Environment in New Zealand". The Royal Society of New Zealand (Miscellaneous Series). 14: 130.
- ^ Calendar (PDF). Victoria University of Wellington. 2000. p. 15.
- ^ "American Chemical Society Division of Carbohydrate Chemistry" (PDF). Newsletter Fall 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ^ "School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington". Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ^ A full list of publications is available from the Royal Society of New Zealand website.
- OCLC 9225402.
- OCLC 30894482.
- ^ "Robert John (Robin) Ferrier". Royal Society of New Zealand. Retrieved 7 March 2013.